Flashbacks from Feels Just Like Home
by Roseheartwhitefox
Summary: Just put together all the childhood flashback scenes from my story "Feels Just Like Home", so others can enjoy these snippets even if they don't read the full story. Enjoy!


A group of school-aged boys were laughing. They were looming over the body of a very small, weak looking boy laying face down on the ground. The small boy was scrambling his hands in front of him, trying to find his glasses.

"Looking for these?" a large muscled boy said, dangling a pair of coke bottle glasses in the air. "Whatssa matter four-eyes, can't you see where you're goin'?" The other boys cackled in agreement. "Maybe if you didn't need such ridiculous glasses you'd be able to see this coming!" The large boy swung his leg and kicked the small dark-haired boy in the chest, making him cry out in agony.

"I heard he still wets the bed! How pathetic!" taunted another boy. " What's the matter loser? Can't go stick your nose in books without your idiot glasses?" Mousse began to cry out as he struggled to see what was in front of him, but was unable to without his glasses. He was kicked again in the chest, so hard that he screamed as tears ran down his face.

"Hey, whaddya say we take little shrimpy here and hang him upside down from a tree branch without his pants? He'll probably pee himself! Betcha no one will even come looking for a pathetic little loser like him!" Mousse covered his face sobbing as he curled into a ball.

"No!" cried Mousse. "Stop it, please! It hurts!" sobbed the small, trembling, defenseless boy. The bully raised his leg again, prepping his stance to kick Mousse square in the back.

Suddenly, a female voice broke through the laughter of the taunting boys, grabbing the foot that was aimed for poor Mousse. In a flash of purple, the large boy who had kicked young Mousse now lay with his face in the dirt.

"Leave him alone!" Shampoo shouted in a rage. "Cowards! Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?"

"Oh look, Shampoo thinks we should leave stupid little Moussey-poo alone!" taunted one of the other boys.

"I'll fight anybody who thinks it's fair to fight someone who can't fight back!" Shampoo yelled in return, taking a martial arts stance. "Four against one half your size is hardly fair!"

"Oh yeah?" taunted the boy menacingly. "You and what army?"

"Me and THIS ARM-IE!" Shampoo screeched as she punched the taunting boy full force, sending him flying into some nearby trees, knocking him unconscious. The remaining boys stood in shock at the strength of this young woman. They cowardly began to scramble in a cloud of dust, leaving Mousse face down in the dirt, his face streaming with tears as he tried in vain to see what was in front of him, searching in vain for his glasses. Suddenly, his glasses were pushed back onto his face, and he could see again. He looked up, and a small girl about his age looked down at him with concerned, luminous eyes.

"Are you alright?" Shampoo asked. "Stupid sons of a crawdad picking on someone half their size! I showed them what happens when they fight like cowards!"

Mousse looked up at Shampoo, and nodded. "I-I-I'm alright," he sniffled, trying to hide the fact that he had been crying in front of Shampoo. "Th-th-thanks." He couldn't help but stare at the purple-haired girl who rescued him. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his entire life.

"It's alright. Those of us who study the art honorably know better than to let someone be hurt in an unfair match," She smiled at him. "Do you need someone to walk you home?"

"Al-al-alright," replied Mousse nervously, completely in awe of his purple-haired rescuer. "M-m-m-my house is just over that way." He could hardly remember how to speak when he looked into Shampoo's luminous, beautiful eyes.

Shampoo walked beside Mousse to his house up to the door. She followed him inside to his bedroom, and Mousse turned to look at her.

"D-d-do you want to play?" he asked eagerly, gulping nervously, expecting her to say no. Shampoo nodded, and Mousse picked up a box and brought it over to her. In it were a few small wooden cars and puppets. Most boys wanted to play with swords and other weapons, yet sweet gentle Mousse did not. It was quite adorable. Shampoo grinned and picked out a cat puppet. Mousse was ecstatic - nobody had EVER wanted to play with him before.

"I don't get to play very much," Shampoo responded. "I have to train all the time."

"Well let's play!" replied Mousse, sounding much more confident that Shampoo hadn't teased him about his choice of toys or his giant glasses. He took a duck puppet on his hand and began to make quacking sounds. "This is Mu-Mu Chan! He loves to eat ice cream!"

Shampoo giggled, responding with the cat puppet. "My name is Neko and I like eating ducks that eat ice cream!" Mousse giggled as Shampoo chased him around the room with the cat puppet. They played for hours, building houses out of wooden blocks, setting up a farm with the puppets, and Shampoo even let Mousse read her a story from one of his books. Shampoo would have never admitted it, but she didn't know how to read, nor had she had anybody read to her before. She quite enjoyed the adventures Mousse told her from just a bunch of paper pages.

It was a great time for Mousse. No one had ever wanted his company before, or seemed interested in what he had to say. For the first time in his life, Mousse had a friend. He liked the feeling a lot.

Before long, it was almost sunset, and Shampoo needed to get home. "Let's play again sometime!" said Mousse as he waved to her. "Maybe you don't get to play that much, but you can always come over and play with me whenever you want!"

Shampoo smiled, and walked off into the sunset. Mousse smiled as he waved, and looked forward to seeing Shampoo again soon. He felt himself blushing profusely, completely lovestruck by the beautiful Shampoo.

* * *

Shampoo and Mousse met up to play together whenever she was able to get away from training, even just for a little while. Mousse always looked forward to her visits more than any other thing in his entire life. His heart would race every time he saw her, and he never felt such happiness with anyone like he did with her.

Shampoo was the only person who treated him like an actual friend - all the other village children teased and mocked him whenever they got a free chance. Mousse was kind and gentle - and in the Amazon culture, such qualities were considered an unworthy failure. To everyone, that is, except Shampoo. She would come and play with him, while he chattered on to her like a monkey in a tree for hours. Mousse never thought he'd have a friend like Shampoo - someone who actually wanted to be in his company.

One day, Mousse and Shampoo were building a house together with blocks. Mousse was blushing profusely, bursting with a question he had been dying to ask Shampoo. She must have picked up on his nervousness, because she looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Mousse? You're acting weird. What's wrong?" she asked

"Well...it's just...uhh-" Mousse stumbled, trying to find his words. "Sh-Sh-Shampoo? D-d-do you think you will ever get married?"

"Yes, of course I will!" Shampoo replied confidently. "Once I'm the best warrior in the whole village, I will marry a strong man, and bring honor like an Amazon should."

Mousse paused in his reply, looking down shyly. "When I grow up, I want to marry you." he said.

Shampoo was so taken aback she couldn't help but burst out with laughter. She and MOUSSE, married? It was the weirdest thing she had ever heard in her entire life.

"Please don't laugh at me. I was being serious." Mousse replied, looking down at his hands, somewhat sadly.

"I wasn't laughing at you. It was just an odd thing to say. I wasn't expecting it, that's all."

"You're not mad?" Mousse asked, playing with his fingers nervously. Shampoo had never known her friend to ever be so quiet or reserved in a moment!

"No, of course not! I bet it was the nicest proposal anyone ever had! And I'm sure I'll hear quite a few!"

"So...would you want to marry me someday?" Mousse replied, looking up at her hopefully.

Shampoo frowned. "Oh, Mousse...you just don't understand," she sighed "I have to marry only the strongest man, Mousse. A man who is so powerful, he could even best me in combat. I must uphold the honor as a woman of the Amazon tribe, and only the best of men will do."

"Oh..." replied Mousse sadly. "It's just...I like being with you a lot, Shampoo. You're the only friend I've ever had."

"I like being with you too, Mousse. But...you just aren't strong," Shampoo replied, her face softening. "Please understand, Mousse...I have no choice but to only marry the strongest man, the man who can best even me."

"Yeah..." Mousse replied quietly "It's okay. I understand."

Shampoo smiled back at him, noticing his sadness. "Come on, let's play some more. We have a long time before we grow up. This house isn't going to build itself!"

Mousse smiled back, although it felt forced. He played with Shampoo the rest of the day, until the sun began to set. Shampoo left for home, walking away into the sunset. Mousse had seen her walking home a thousand times, but each and every time, he was stunned by how beautiful she was.

As the days went on, Mousse began to notice how popular Shampoo was with the other village students. She was the object of almost every boy's attention these days. They were all becoming masters of their art, and would have the right to challenge Shampoo for her hand someday. Strong, muscular, quick, agile - and perfectly good eyesight. What chance did he possibly stand against them? The feeling was overwhelming - he'd never be able to be with Shampoo, no matter how much he loved her.

One afternoon after witnessing a crowd of boys oogling over Shampoo, Mousse walked home with his head held low. He hated seeing those other boys trying to get Shampoo's attention - and, more importantly - he hated how she was noticing them back. It made his heart sink every single time. He was so down, he didn't even notice the person standing in front of his house. He walked straight into the man with a crash, falling on his rear. Mousse rubbed his bottom as he stood up, and fixed his glasses, only to notice that he had walked directly into his grandfather. Normally he'd have been ecstatic to see him - but after seeing Shampoo flirting with the other boys, nothing could make him feel better.

"H-hello, Grandfather." said Mousse, his voice quite depressed as he held his head down.

"Hey, what's wrong there Mousse?" Grandfather said as he noticed Mousse's solemn expression. "You look lower than a newly planted seed."

"Well..." Mousse replied. "It...it's hard to explain, Grandfather."

"Hey, come on there now. Let's go inside and we can talk about this, man to man," Grandfather replied. "I've been around a long time son, tell me all about it and I'll throw my two cents in."

Mousse nodded and he walked with his grandfather into the house. They sat down across from each other.

"Alright, Mousse. Now tell me what's on your mind." Grandfather said, looking kindly at his grandson.

"Well...Grandfather...you see..there's this girl-"

"Oh, a WOMAN! You didn't say we were talking about a WOMAN!"

Mousse felt the heat in his face as he blushed profusely. "H-her name is Shampoo, and she's my best friend," Mousse paused for a moment. "I...I love her, grandfather. I loved her the first time I ever saw her."

"Ah...love at first sight. It's a beautiful thing. A true connection like that is rare, like a white deer."

"Yeah...she's incredible. She's kind, and beautiful, and..." Mousse sighed. "Oh grandfather, she's got these eyes...and...and-"

"Sounds like quite the woman!"

"But she wants to marry the strongest man, not someone like me," Mousse said, drooping his head in despair. "I'll never get to be with a woman like her."

Grandfather paused for a moment, stroking his chin in deep thought before replying."Well, sounds to me like you ain't doing your part, Mousse."

"Wh-what? How can you be on her side, grandfather?"

"Think of it from her point of view, Mousse. See, the laws say she has to marry a strong man, and for a man to be strong, he has to work for it. If you just got handed a woman like that, it'd be easier than cuttin' lard. Then you'd not have to do any work, and that ain't good for your character."

"But...I don't want character! I just want to be with Shampoo! I love her!" exclaimed Mousse.

"I know you do, son! And you can keep lovin' her till the cows come home! But if you wanna be with that woman, you gotta do your fair share. You gotta meet destiny halfway. The world only helps those who help themselves." Grandfather replied.

"But how can I? I can't see my own hand in front of my face. How can I possibly master my own art if I can't even do that?" replied Mousse sadly.

"Listen, son. If you have a dream, you have to do everything in your power to try to get it. Don't let anything - not glasses or other boys- NOTHIN' stop you. Look, Mousse...I'm gonna help you get this girl. When I was young, I was an apprentice to a master of hidden weapons. It's the best fighting style there is - no one can see the threat you really are. I've wanted to teach you for a long time. I was going to wait until you were a little older, but seems to me the current situation is callin' for it. Come on, let's go out back, and I'll teach you everything you need to know," Grandfather replied with a smile. "I love you, grandson. I won't give up on you, eyesight or not!"

From that day on, Mousse vowed he would train as hard as he possibly could to become strong enough to win Shampoo's hand. It was hard work - his eyesight made lessons difficult and tedious, but he stayed persistent, and Grandfather never gave up on Mousse's capability despite his handicap. Mousse had never had drive or determination like this before. Each day, he grew stronger and more agile as he practiced the art of hidden weapons - and no matter what happened, he would always recall his grandfather's wise words, and meet destiny in the middle to be the kind of man the laws deemed worthy to marry Shampoo.

* * *

Mousse ran through the forest as a group of boys chased him. Yet again, Mousse found himself the brunt of the village boys bullying. Mousse had become much more agile these days as he learned the art of hidden weapons, but it still didn't stop that group from harassing him whenever an opportunity presented itself. Mousse found himself at the edge of a creek on an old rotten log that lay across it. Mousse thought for sure he was trapped, but when the boys emerged from the woods, they seemed less interested in Mousse and more worried about the log he was standing on.

"Porcupine!" the boys screamed, skidding to a stop. All three of them turned around in a flash and headed for the hills. Mousse was left alone to stare at the old log. Whatever was living in that log was frightening enough to scare three muscular martial artists off.

Mousse suddenly had an idea. If this strange animal could scare off those boys, perhaps only the bravest person could stand up against it. If Shampoo saw him being brave like that - perhaps it would put him in the right light after all! Mousse studied the log for a while, pondering the best way to get across and have Shampoo see him at the same time.

Mousse headed back to the village, searching for Shampoo. He found her talking to the group of boys - the same group that had chased him to the log. He gulped nervously as he waited for them to leave, and then approached Shampoo.

"Shampoo!" shouted Mousse with a happy wave. Shampoo turned and smiled at him, and Mousse gulped nervously.

"Nihao, Mousse!" said Shampoo happily. "How are you today?"

"Shampoo! I'm glad I found you," Mousse exclaimed. "There's...there's this...thing! Yeah, this thing Shampoo - and it's got these eyes...and these claws...like-" Mousse stumbled as he tried to describe some kind of creature. "And it walks around like this!" Mousse squatted and fumbled around on the ground. "And well - you gotta see it!"

Shampoo chuckled. "Oh Mousse, you're so silly! Alright, where are we going?"

Mousse grinned. "Meet me down at the creek in 5 minutes!" shouted Mousse as he ran back down to the stump. He had to set things up before Shampoo got there so she could see him facing off against the...well, whatever that thing was living in the log.

Mousse carefully stepped up to the log, contemplating what to do first. He needed to try and get across that log without the animal noticing him first. Mousse snapped his fingers at an idea. He fished inside his robe and pulled out a long metal stick.

Positioning himself at the edge of the log, Mousse used the metal stick to fling himself over the log, landing almost completely on the other side, landing with a hollow thud. This plan would work for sure! He'd be able to make it over the log again in front of Shampoo, and she'd think he was brave. It was a brilliant plan.

Suddenly, Mousse heard a deep, grunting and growling. He slowly turned around and was face to face with a spiky, angry looking creature. It was not very happy about the boy who had intruded on it's house. The animal bared its teeth, and Mousse jumped in surprise, dropping the metal stick into the creek. Mousse tried to run away from the animal, but it dashed under his legs and blocked his escape.

Mousse frantically ran the other way, but the animal dove down inside the log and popped out on the other side in a rage. Mousse screeched to a stop and tried to run back the other way again, but the animal scattered away inside the log and blocked his way. Mousse had gotten himself into quite a mess. As if on cue, Mousse saw a flash of purple through the trees. Shampoo was coming, and Mousse was far from appearing brave as he ran away from the animal like a coward.

Mousse ran back and forth slipping on moss as he tried to get away from the enraged animal, but he was trapped. After running to one side of the log for a final time, his foot snapped through the wood and he tripped. His pants and underwear were pulled down, leaving his buttocks open straight up into the air. The spiky animal up flung up like a catapult. Mousse stared wide eyed, unable to move as the animal stuck out it's spikes and landed directly on his exposed bottom.

"Aaaaoooooo!" cried out Mousse as the animal's needles stabbed him on his rear. The force broke him free from the log, and he landed in the water. The animal waddled out of the water onto the shore, and with an angry grunt, disappeared back into the log. Mousse groaned in agony as he tried to stand up, rubbing his sore rump, attempting to pull up his pants and underwear. He could feel numerous, large, spiky needles embedded in his buttocks skin. He also realized he was bleeding.

'This is hopeless!' he thought to himself in frustration 'I'm a coward! How will Shampoo think I'm brave like this?'

"Mousse?" said a voice from the trees, and Mousse quickly turned around, hiding his injured bottom from Shampoo. "Mousse, you okay? I thought I heard someone screaming."

"Oh...uhh...yeah - that!" stumbled Mousse, trying to hide the pain in his voice. "That was just...uhh-I just managed to scare off a vicious animal, but it got me first, that's all!"

"It did? Where?" said Shampoo as she approached Mousse with concern, and he tried to cover up his bottom as he backed away into the creek.

"Uh-nowhere!" exclaimed Mousse as he tried to back away as Shampoo approached him.

"Come on Mousse, let me see!" demanded Shampoo. "It looks like you're in pain! Let me help!"

"No, it's fine!" Mousse replied as he winced, covering up his rear.

"Hold still!" demanded Shampoo.

"It's nothing!" Mousse replied, covering his rear with his hands.

"Stop moving!" shouted Shampoo as Mousse backed away. Mousse fell backwards into the ankle deep water with a scream as Shampoo grabbed his arm to help him up. He groaned out in pain, unable to escape before Shampoo bent him over and saw his injured...area.

"Oh, Mousse!" exclaimed Shampoo when she saw Mousse's rear end. "What did you do?"

"Ugh..." groaned Mousse in defeat. "Shampoo...I didn't want you to see this. Is-is it bad?"

Shampoo was silent for a moment, and gulped nervously. "I'm not gonna lie to you...but it isn't pretty." Shampoo sighed heavily. " Oh Mousse, you really are hopeless! Come on..." sighed Shampoo. "Great-grandmother can help fix this."

Mousse clenched his body as Shampoo led him out of the creek. " Ohhhh..." Mousse groaned. Every step was agony as each embedded needle stabbed into his rear end further as he walked. Begrudgingly, Mousse followed Shampoo, nursing his tender bottom as they headed to Cologne's house. Shampoo poked her head inside and called out, and Cologne appeared from behind a corner.

"Great-grandmother!" exclaimed Shampoo. "Mousse got hurt by an animal! Can you help us?"

"Oh dear," said Cologne "Bring him around back and I'll have a look."

Shampoo motioned for Mousse to follow, and with a sigh he followed her to the back room.

"Where did he get hurt, Shampoo?" asked Cologne, and Mousse felt his face turn beet red.

"His-" Shampoo cut off for a second as she started to giggle. "Oh Great-grandmother, an animal bit him in the butt!"

Mousse felt so embarrassed, he thought he was going to pass out. Cologne began to chuckle loudly as she motioned for Mousse to come over to the treatment table.

"Oh dear, poor thing. What an awful place to get injured. Come on son, lay down here face down and we'll take a look." Mousse gulped nervously as Shampoo nodded for him to follow Cologne. Mousse lay face down on the table and yelped when his pants and underpants were yanked down. It wasn't just the fact that his bottom was now exposed, but the fact that Shampoo was still there. His face was so hot he thought he might just die of embarrassment.

Cologne busted out with heartfelt laughter, unable to control herself. "Oh-ho! Messing with a porcupine, are we boy?" Cologne laughed deeply. Mousse had never heard his village leader laugh in his entire life. "Alright son, I'm going to have no choice but to pull those straight out," Mousse groaned loudly at the statement. "Sorry Mousse, but it is what it is. It's going to hurt, I'm not going to lie to you."

Shampoo stared into Mousse's flustered face with concern. She pulled up a chair and sat down by his head and reached out and wrapped her hand around his. Mousse was so shocked at the feeling of Shampoo's soft warm hand in his. He almost completely forgot he was laying face down with his buttocks sticking out in front of her.

"Alright boy, get ready," said Cologne, and Mousse felt a sharp stab of pain as she grasped one of the needles and yanked it out hard. Mousse cried out, embarrassed at doing so in front of Shampoo. He tried not to in front of her, but he started to cry from the pain, tears running down his face. Rather than laugh at him, Shampoo began to caress his hand with hers.

"It's okay, Mousse. Great-grandmother will get those out. I'm sorry it hurts so much." said Shampoo

"Sh-Shampoo..." said Mousse, amazed. "Th-thanks for staying with- MEEEEEE!" Mousse yelped as another needle was pulled out. Shampoo continued to caress Mousse's hand as the needles were pulled out one by one. It probably would have been more painful if Mousse hadn't been so distracted by Shampoo. It was comforting having her there - it wasn't nearly so bad having the village leader pull needles out of your buttocks when the most beautiful woman in the entire world was holding your hand.

Cologne thoroughly bandaged Mousse's rear up after she pulled out the final needle. With a groan he hiked his pants and underwear back up and slid off the table. Cologne led them to the door and chuckled as she waved them off together. "Make sure he gets home safely, Shampoo! And steer clear of the river!"

* * *

Shampoo and Mousse had met for lunch that day under the shade of a tall pine tree. Shampoo had been training so extensively lately that Mousse hadn't been able to see her much at all, so this quiet moment was very special to him. Mousse had been training as well, and although it would be quite some time until he could present a skill level to rival that of any other boy his age, his physical endurance was becoming better with each passing day. Shampoo and Mousse were enjoying their meal together when an unwelcome sight appeared over the hillside. It was Ronno, leader of the strongest group of boys in the village - the same group that Shampoo had saved Mousse from long ago.

Mousse groaned quietly to himself - this was the last thing he wanted during his rare time with Shampoo. Ronno pounded up to Shampoo, shoving Mousse to the side with a swipe of his arm.

"Oh, sorry Moussey-poo! Didn't see you there!" said Ronno snyly. "Shampoo, why are you friends with this little weakling anyway, when you could be hanging out with us?" Ronno said arrogantly. "Come on, he's never going to be anything but a shrimpy little four-eyed know-it-all!" Ronno shoved Mousse again with incredible ease, almost making him fall down in the dirt.

Mousse's face was red in anger. "I'm not weak!" he spat. "I'm just as strong as you guys! Just challenge me and see!" Mousse replied angrily, trying to lower his voice pitch as low as possible.

"Aww, don't feel bad Moussey. If we didn't have weaklings, we couldn't tell who the strong ones are!" said Ronno, spitting in Mousse's direction. "That's the thing about me - I don't feel any pain! Mousse here is just a waste of space!"

"That's not true!" yelled Shampoo in response. "Leave Mousse alone, alright? He hasn't done anything to you. So back off!"

Ronno rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, sure. Come on, Shampoo. Let's go!" he said to Shampoo forcibly.

"I'm staying here." Shampoo spat as she held her ground, but Ronno and the other boys began to shove her along unwillingly.

"Oh, come on!" said Ronno pushing Shampoo as he grabbed her arm. The other four boys joined in, encircling Shampoo as her eyes widened in fear.

"Ronno, quit it!" yelled Shampoo, but Ronno continued to shove, and yanked her by the arm.

Mousse was furious at the sight. "L-leave her alone!" he shouted before he could stop himself.

Ronno slowly turned his head around, his left eye slowly making contact with Mousse. "Did you say something, four-eyes?"

Mousse paused for a moment and gulped nervously, his hands shaking. "N-no...w-well, I-I mean,- yes!" Mousse stumbled, puffing out his chest. "Leave her alone!" he shouted. "...please?"

Ronno laughed in amusement, stomping up to Mousse as he loomed over him with clenched fists. Mousse cowered down wide-eyed as he stared up at the massive boy.

"Since when do you tell ME what to do, shrimp?" scowled Ronno down at Mousse. "Shampoo is going with ME, and there ain't nothing a pathetic little coward like you can do to stop me!"

"I'm not a coward!" shouted Mousse, rising on his toes to meet Ronno in the eyes. Mousse scowled at him and furrowed his eyebrows. "Shampoo doesn't want to go with you. Leave her alone." Mousse stated loudly and sternly.

"Oh? And what are you gonna do about it Moussey?" laughed Ronno, not at all taking Mousse's threat seriously. "Come on Shampoo, we're going! NOW!"

Shampoo began to back away as the boys encircled her again. Ronno didn't even see the punch before it nailed him in the back of the head, shoving him face first into the mud. Ronno growled in fury as he picked himself out of the mud, looking behind him at a very determined looking Mousse, who still held his fist out.

"I'm gonna enjoy ending you!" screamed Ronno clenching his teeth as he stood back up onto his feet, pounding fists together, motioning to the other boys with a flick of his head. Mousse didn't need another second to realize that he needed to run away-and fast.

Mousse ran as fast as he could, the gang of muscled boys chasing him through the forest. He ran down the hill towards the creek, stopping at the very familiar old rotten log that stretched across the water. Mousse looked behind him - the boys were right on his tail, stopping and grinning as they cracked their knuckles.

"Ha! Look who's trapped again! Looks like someone didn't learn their lesson last time!" cackled Ronno.

Mousse turned around and grinned smugly at Ronno. "I learned plenty!" he shouted as he ran forward onto the log. He stomped his feet onto the hollow wood, and heard the familiar growling of the angry creature living inside. The animal emerged at the other side of the log in a fury, pawing the ground as it prepared to charge at Mousse. Mousse charged forward at the animal as well, and only when they were feet apart did Mousse jump and land on a loose piece of wood, launching the enraged animal into the air directly at Ronno. The animal stuck out it's spikes before it landed directly on his face.

"MOMMY!" cried out Ronno in agony as the animal impaled itself on him. "MOMMY! GET IT OFF!" Ronno screamed as he frantically ran away with the angry animal stuck to his face. The other boys, having lost their leader, cowardly followed in a scramble, not wanting to find out what Mousse was going to do next.

Mousse laughed as he crossed his arms and puffed out his chest. "Ha! That's right! Run on home to your mama, you big ol' mama's boy!"

The gang of boys ran off, and Mousse was quite proud of himself. Shampoo emerged from the trees laughing hysterically.

"Oh Mousse! That was brilliant! I can't believe you did that!" she exclaimed with a smile. "Did you see Ronno's face? I'll never forget it! Oh Mousse, that was so brave!"

Mousse smiled proudly back at Shampoo. "We-Well of course I was! I couldn't just sit there and let him push you around like that!"

"Th-thank you, Mousse," said Shampoo gratefully. "I mean it." She reached out and touched his hand. "You're a good friend, Mousse. No matter what anyone else says."

Mousse smiled to himself. He had wanted so badly to show Shampoo how brave he was. The first time he had tried to do that on the log, he wound up with a rear end full of needles. Mousse realized that maybe being brave didn't mean you went looking for trouble. Perhaps it meant doing the right thing even if you were scared - for someone you loved when they were in trouble. Maybe that's what love really was. He smiled to himself as he walked off with Shampoo in the sunny afternoon. He vowed from that day on to always protect Shampoo whenever she needed him, no matter what, even if it meant risking his own life to do so.


End file.
